On Tuesday, the organization Students Transforming Oppression and Privilege (STOP) demonstrated on the Quad, responding to a culture that causes things like the “Tacos and tequilas” exchange to happen. Present at the rally were photos pulled from Facebook, one depicting a white student in blackface, presumably at a “pimps and ho’s” party.

But what the University will do about this and other examples of racism on campus will live on in institutional memory.

We live in a culture where blackface is amusing to some people. If you don’t immediately see how disgusting blackface is, go watch the movie “Bamboozled.”

This past Monday, after weeks of stonewalling, Zeta Beta Tau fraternity issued a very sincere apology. They ensured us that “diversity training” is now going to be part of their initiation program. Yes, an entire group will now receive training in how not to upset the “diverse” students on campus.

Similarly, when students marched on Swanlund Administration Building yesterday morning, Vice Chancellor Renee Romano read by a statement by Chancellor Herman. It stated that “the controversy has added impetus to our plans to heighten diversity education on campus.”

So some make the claim that the racism so prevalent on this campus is a result of ignorance. This is a fundamental and convenient misunderstanding of how racism is perpetuated. On a meeting at La Casa on Monday, Oct. 15, it was suggested that the Tri-delts and ZBTs responsible for this party had not come in contact with any Latinos or Latinas, and maybe non-whites should make an attempt to show that these stereotypes don’t characterize them.

But the “Tacos and tequilas” exchange did not occur simply because members of these houses didn’t know better. The Tri-delts and ZBTs aren’t stupid, at least not enough that they wouldn’t know that what they did was wrong. The Tri-delta house, coincidentally, is right next to the office of the Latino/Latina Studies Program.

The fact that it was wrong, instead, is the motivation for parties like these. These type of parties, which have happened across the country and for years (see the “ghetto” exchange, or the “Lupe” song from UCLA), are not products of ignorance. This isn’t about ignorance, because that’s not what causes racism. This is about the perpetuation of white privilege.

Tri-deltas are now making the claim that they are being harassed and abused as a result of this party, as if they are somehow they are also victims in this situation. I talked to Wendy Marie Finley, member of STOP, about harassment. She said she had been approached at her job, by a total stranger and asked if she was the one “doing that rally” to which she responded that she shouldn’t discuss it at work. She was then told “you shouldn’t be discussing that at all.” This intimidation by an anonymous stranger is an excellent example of the hostile environment created on this campus.

To some, portraying Latinos and Latinas as poor farmers or pregnant teenagers is seen as empowering and amusing. The thrill of dressing up in blackface is that you are knowingly doing something vile, that you can abuse an entire people, and you can get away with it. All the “diversity training” in the world isn’t going to fix this.

The University’s response to the exchanges so far has been predictable. Racist graffiti, which stands as a daily reminder of how threatening and unwelcoming this place is to minorities, stays on the walls of University buildings for years before it is bothered to be cleaned up. Or look at the problem of segregation in the residence halls and what little progress the University has made.

The actions the University eventually takes in response to the not-so-hidden racism on our campus, rather than its lip service about “education” and “diversity,” will show its position on the issue of white privilege. I predict that the University will act the way they have with the Chief, doing the minimum amount necessary and delaying in the hope the issue dies down. If you care about fighting white privilege on this campus, make sure it doesn’t.